Before entering the ministry, I was a full-time journalist for a variety of newspapers.
And one lesson you learn early in that career is that there are always at least two sides to a story.
That’s why it is so important to listen carefully to one side and then seek out those who might have a different view of the same matter.
Failure to seek balance in reporting is a failure of journalistic practice.
And so it is in our personal relationships, whether we’re the ones doing the talking or the ones doing the listening.
Understand that truth isn’t one-legged.
To have balance, both legs of different perspectives must be considered.
That doesn’t mean that both sides have to be “right” in their perspectives, but certainly both sides are to be heard.
That principle, so important to having an integrity-based faith, is taught in a verse from today’s reading in the One-Year Bible.
“There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.” (Proverbs 29:20)
There are a number of problems that can result from speaking before thinking.
And one of them is choosing sides in a disagreement between others before considering the facts and feelings of both parties.
It’s not uncommon for believers to pick sides in others’ battles when it is wiser to stay out of the fray.
We’ve all made this mistake.
But if God is stirring our hearts to peacemaking, let’s make sure we pray and ponder in abundance before we speak.
It’s so much better to mentally sort through the facts and feelings and questions needing answered before our nose pokes into somebody else’s battle rather than afterwards.
As always, I love you
Martin
